Air-valve.



l PATENTED 00T. 18,1904. T'. WHBATLEY.

AIR-VALVE. APPLICATION FILED H1111, 1902.

.No MODEL. I

WITNESSES: m25?,

n VE TOR BY l 'TTTORNEx/s,

Patented October 18, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS WHEATLEnoF sYRAcUsE, NEW YORK.

AIR-VALVE.'

SPECIFICATION fOIlnnlg` partof Letters Patent N0. 772,765, dated.October 18, 1904:.

' Application led April 1, 1902. Serial No. 100,982. (No model.)

To all whom t may concernr' Be it known that 1,.'I`HoMAs WHEATLEY, ofA

The primary object of this invention is to' permit the free displacementof the air from the radiator by the iniiowing heating fluid.

Another more specific object is to obviate the liability .of any leakagefrom the shell automatically by means of an expansible fluid sensitiveto terminal changes. vTo this end the invention consists 1n thcomblnatlon, construction, and arrangement -of the parts of anair-valve, as hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1.is a vertical sectional view of thedevice embodying the various features of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3'aresectional views taken, respectively, on lines 2 2 and 3 3, Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding partsin all theviews.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings I have shown my inventionasconsisting of a shell 1 and a valve 2, a iiuid-containing space 3, afloat 4., and a well 5, which is movable toward and from the-vent.

The shell 1 may be of any desired form, size, or construction, andpreferably consists of a base 6, an 4upright cylinder 7 land a nipple 8,said parts being permanently secured to each other in any desired mannernot necently described:

The upright cylinder 7 is hollow, its lower end being open andcommunicating with the chamber 10, and its upper end is closed and-provided with a nipple 8, said nipple being formed with an air-outletpassage 13, leading from the interior of the shell 7 to the atmosphere.

The inner end of the nipple 8, which, if desired, may be formed integralwith the cylinder 7 is provided with a Valve-seat 14, adapted to receivethe valve 2. This valve 2 may be of anydesired form or construction andsupported in any suitable manner to be operated either by the expansionof the fluid in the space 3 or by the float 4., which operation by theeXpansible uid or ioat may be either simultaneous or by the floatindividul ally.

As seen in Fig. 1, the expansible body in the space 3 is hermeticallysealed in a suitable inclosing case 15, having lower and upper flexiblewalls or diaphragme 16 and 17, and suitably secured to the walls of theshell 1 in such manner that the intermediate portions of the diaphragmsare free to move or to ,be moved toward and away from each other orindependently of each other. The preferable mode of securing thisinclosing case for the expansible Huid is to attach the perimeter of thebase of the case to the adjacent walls of the base 6 by soldering or'sweating o r otherwise permanently attaching the adjacent parts, so asto form atight joint surrounding the inner end of the aperture 11, whichprevents the escape of any steam or other heating fluid through saidaperture even thoughV the adjusting-screw 12 may be removed. Thisvention, for the reason that it obviates the necessity of any packingaround the adjusting-screw.

In the construction and operation of the case 15 just described saidcase is iirst lilled with the expansible fluid, and then the walls aresealed, so as to prevent any evaporation or loss of iuid therefrom. Anydesired inaterial may be employed in the case 15` which is susceptibleto expansion and contraction under varying degrees of temperature, sothat when the temperature is normal the diaphragm 17 is depressed and asthe degree of temperature increases the fluid in the casing 15 expandsand elevates the diaphragm 17. This elevation and depression of thediaphragm is utilized to operate the valve 2, and any desired means maybe employed for transmitting motion from said diaphragm to the valve,this means in Fig. 1 consisting of a rod or stem 19 having one endconnected to the valve and its other end loosely seated in a socket 20,formed in a head 21, projecting upwardly from the center of thediaphragm 17, said head beingl usually permanently secured to thediaphragm. It is thus apparent that when the fluid in the easing 15 isheated by the heating fluid passing into the shell through the passage 9said fluid is eX- panded and elevates the diaphragm 17, which in turnoperates to close the valve 2 through the medium of the head 21 and stemor rod 19, and when the temperature of the iuid lowers the diaphragmretracts automatically, thereby permitting the valve 2 and stem 19 toreturn to their normal inoperative positions for opening the passage 13.

It is sometimes necessary to adjust the valve relative to itsseat,particular1y when the means for automatically moving the valve isincapable of operating the valve suficiently to close the passage at theproper time, and for this purpose I provide an adjusting screw 12,which, as seen in Fig. 1, is movable in the threaded aperture 11 and isadapted to engage the lower diaphragm 16 at substantially its centralpoint for the purpose of moving said diaphragm, from which motion istransmitted to the upper diaphragm 17 through the medium of the fluid inthe casing 15.

The well 5 is mounted upon the diaphragm 17 of the casing 15, and istherefore movable with said diaphragm toward and from the airvent 13 andis operated by the expansion and contraction of the liquid in the case15 or by the adjusting-screw 12 through the medium of the diaphragms 16and 17 and the liquidin said ease. The bottom of the well isimperforate; but its upper end is open and receives the lower end or'the float 4, which is shown as supported on the upper end of the stem19, while its lower end is open and extends into and beneath the top ofthe well, so that any water of condensation rising in the shell andoverflowing in the well traps the air in the float and causes it to riseand close the valve, while at the same time the inllowing heatingagentoperates to expand the Iiuid in the casing 15 and also to expandthe trapped air in the lioat and adds additional pressure to close thevalve to prevent the escape oi steam or water through the outlet.

The only means of escape of the water from the well is by overliow atthe top, and therefore more or less water of condensation remains in thewell to trap the air in the lioat; but this liquid is also expanded bythe heating agent and further operates to keep the valve closed as longas the heat is present in the shell. This expansion of the water oicondensation in the well causes an overliow of the excess into the shellwhile the valve remains closed; but in the absence of heat this waterrecedes in the well, and the other expansible elements also relax andpermit the valve to open, whereupon the valve operating elcments areagain in position for a repetition oli the operation just described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Iatent, is-

1. In an air-valve for radiators, a shell having an inlet and an outlet,a well in the shell, aioat in the well, a valve actuated by the lloat toclose the outlet, and means to move the well toward and from the outlet.

2. In an air-valve for radiators, a shell having an inlet and an outlet,a valve for the outlet, and a movable well operatively connected toactuate the valve.

3. In an air-valve for radiators, a shell having an inlet and a valvedoutlet, a lioat operatively connected to actuate the valve, a welladjustable relatively to the iioat, and means to adjust the well.

4. In an air-valve for radiators, a shell having an inlet and a valvedoutlet, a well in the shell, a float in the well operatively connectedto actuate the valve, and means in the well to guide the iioat.

5. In an air-valve for radiators, a shell having an inlet and a valvedoutlet, a well in the shell movable toward and from the outlet, means tomove the well, and a lioat in the well operatively connected to actuatethe valve.

6. In an air-valve for radiators, a shell having an inlet and a valvedoutlet, a well in the shell movable toward and from the outlet, means tomove the well, a float in the well operatively connected to actuate thevalve, and means in the well to guide the iioat.

7. In an air-valve for radiators, the combination with a shell having aninlet and a val ved outlet, a well in the shell movable toward and fromthe outlet and having an imperiorate bottom, a float in the well havingan open bottom and operatively'connected to actuate the valve, and meansin the well to guide the lioat.

8. In an air-valve for radiators, the combination of a base or cuphaving an interior IOO IIO

chamber and a neck with an inlet opening into the interior chamber, anouter shell xedly entered' into the base and having its top or upper endprovided with avent-passage, lan inner well open at the top and havingan irnperforatev bottom above the inlet, said well being adjustablevertically and of less diameter than the outer shell leaving a channelor passage between the sides of the well and shell, a float looselyentered into the open end of the well and of lessvdiarneter than the-diameter of the well, leaving a space between the sides of the iioatand well, and a valve carried by the float for closing and opening theventpassage with the rise and fall ofthe float and well, and meanstoadjust the well vertically.

9. In an air-valvevfor radiators, a base having an inlet, a shell iixedto the base and provided with an Vair-outlet, a well inkthe shell havingan open top and an imperforate bottom above the inlet anda floatinserted in the open end of the well and a valve actuated by the ioat toopen and close the outlet, and means to move the well toward and fromthe outletpassage. v i

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this"27th day of March,1902.

THOMAS WHEATLEY.

Witnesses:

, H. E. CHASE, MILDRED M. NOTT.

